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SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO BE NICE

Name: SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO BE NICE
Author: Maggie C. Rudd
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7573-4

by Maggie C. Rudd ; illustrated by Kelly O'Neill ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2021

The focus on being “nice” in lieu of genuine kindness, honesty, respect, and sharing makes this a less-than-nice read.

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What does it mean to be nice? And does being nice equal doing the right thing?

This book attempts to share lessons in social-emotional learning but misses the mark in a few places. In the opening scene, a child is sad that a visiting cousin takes a treasured toy robot to play with. He breaks it, and the text notes that “sometimes being nice is really hard.” In another scene, a different child is given a plate of tuna noodle casserole. To spare Grandma’s feelings, the kid chokes it down. This behavior may seem nice on the surface, but this dishonesty does not help Grandma or the child. In a final example, a third youngster waits in line for the slide when another kid jumps the line. The child who was waiting patiently is told by Mom to let the other kid go first. Disregarding this instruction, the waiting child takes their rightful turn on the slide anyway, but “somehow it isn’t as fun.” The second-person narration continues, “Next time you’ll let him go first.” The book offers some feel-good examples of “nice” behavior, but overall, it paints the unfortunate picture that being nice means suffering for the sake of someone else’s feelings or, worse, their poor behavior. O’Neill supplies bland, stiff scenes featuring a cast of racially diverse children of multiple gender presentations.

The focus on being “nice” in lieu of genuine kindness, honesty, respect, and sharing makes this a less-than-nice read. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-8075-7573-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)